SOUTH FREMANTLE’S battle between residents and its booming hospitality scene has turned personal, with locals complaining of blocked driveways, drunken patrons and late-night noise — while a bar developer has dismissed his neighbours as “Karens”.

Orient Street residents say patrons of nearby venues already spill into surrounding residential streets, blocking driveways, urinating in front of homes and making noise in the early hours.

They’re now facing the possible addition of a new 150-patron small bar and a three-storey apartment development with commercial businesses on the ground floor. 

Sandy has lived in the street for 30 years and says she’s not opposed to development, but the cumulative impact of the growing hospitality precinct is becoming intolerable.

“I’ve already had people urinating on my front fence from these venues,” she said.

“We’re going to have three huge alcohol outlets within 150 metres.”

Other residents said traffic had become problematic, with one reporting 25 cars backing into, out of and turning in a driveway over a couple of hours on a Sunday night. Others have had strangers park in their driveway, and have copped abuse when they’ve objected.

Abbey, whose work requires her to leave in the early hours of the morning, often finds late-night revellers hanging around and says it’s left her fearful.

It’s also come at a financial cost.

“We’ve had people hit our water meter, so we had to pay privately to put in an underground water tap,” she said.

“A guy hit it, said he didn’t, and drove off while doing a U-turn. 

“Our fence has also been knocked down.”

Gwyneth, who has lived in the area for almost 40 years, said the transformation of South Fremantle had come at the expense of residents.

“I am so disappointed in what is happening here now because the so-called reactivation of South Fremantle and South Terrace is horrendous for the residents who live here. 

“We are simply being ignored.”

Fiona lives a door or two down from the Terrace’s commercial area and says a councillor told her the council could no long police parking it was such a problem.

“They’ve got too big a workload. 

“We have to ring the parking inspectors all the time. 

“You don’t want to be ringing them because you don’t want to be seen as a snitch, but when people are blocking our driveways, what else can you do?”

Fiona says Uber drivers are “serial offenders”, parking in residents’ driveways to pick up meals. One took the time to scoff a pizza, while others don’t bother muting the doof doof while parked next to people’s homes.

The proposed apartment development has added another layer to the dispute.

Abbey said residents were concerned about its scale and proximity to neighbours.

“They’re asking for essentially 14.1 metres in height, and that’s not including the rooftop terrace, which they haven’t elaborated on,” she said.

“That’s 7.1 metres above what Fremantle has zoned for this area.”

Abbey and Fiona both raised concerns the apartments will be decided by the state-controlled JDAP, taking the power away from councillors who might have a better understanding of the impact on residents.

But Ray Simpson, who is behind the proposed small bar, takes a markedly different view of South Freo’s development.

Mr Simpson said his venue had been extensively assessed, including acoustic, parking, traffic and heritage reports, and would accommodate 150 patrons, with 24 seats planned for the alfresco area.

“We’re putting acoustic panelling on the roof and insulation in the roof to stop the noise getting out. We’re doing everything we can,” he said.

Mr Simpson said he believed South Fremantle needed development while its heritage buildings should be protected.

But he’s clearly frustrated by the complaints, saying council inspectors had repeatedly attended the site, including when he was parked over his own driveway.

“I have no filter. I tolerated them for ages, and then they just kept going,” he said.

“In the end, we’re just like, ‘Don’t even fucking talk to me. Don’t come near me’.”

Mr Simpson said residents had come up with spurious complaints against neighbouring businesses, accusing one of being a fire hazard, another of having umbrellas that were too low, and others for having his pot plants in the wrong spot.

“They harassed the pub; it’s just weird stuff. Nothing better to do.”

Fiona said the council needed to consider the cumulative effect of the area’s growth rather than assessing each venue or development in isolation.

“It should have been more of a mix — a few more small, boutique-type places, yoga, wellness — rather than licence after licence in a heritage residential area.”

by STEVE GRANT